Hey...Something to Share with the Teachers.....How to Overcome Students' Anxiety in Writing.....

Hi....such a loonng time since I opened my blog....surely being as busy as a bee suits the title of my life. PT3 taken over PMR is not such a happy assembled words either to the teachers or to students. But as a calling for S>O>S a.k.a. HELP....here are the step can be applied by the teachers for those types of students who really know the meaning of the word ANXIETY...normally during writing or composing an essay....

Read what the experts have to say first:

•          A substantial amount of research has suggested that anxiety has great effects on foreign language learning. Anxiety is a factor that affects the process of learning, and researchers such as MacIntyre and Gardner (1991) assert that language learning is incredibly anxiety-provoking. Many researchers claim that anxiety could become an obstacle during language learning (Atay and Kurt, 2006).

•          Yin Zheng (2008) reveals that the number of anxious language learners is astounding.

•          Hassan (2001: 12) explains: “…writing apprehension is a problem in writing classes because it has consequences for students’ learning experience, and for the decisions they make about engaging in productive, fulfilling writing projects”.

•          Spielberger (1983: 1, in Brown, 2007) defines anxiety as “the subjective feeling of tension, apprehension, nervousness, and worry associated with an arousal of the autonomic nervous system.”

•          Horwitz et al. (1986: 128) define foreign language anxiety as “a distinct complex of self-perceptions, beliefs, feelings, and behaviors related to classroom language learning arising from the uniqueness of the language learning process”.

•          ESL teachers must understand their students’ writing anxiety in order to help them write more effectively. Writing is predominantly product-oriented thus learning to write in a foreign language involves much anxiety (Tsui, 1996).

•          If teachers do not understand their students’ writing anxiety and address it appropriately, the students will be left to suffer from a “distress associated with writing” and consequently, they develop “a profound distaste for the process” (Madigan, Linton, and Johnson, 1996: 295).

•          These effects can be detrimental to teaching and learning.

Issue:

HOW MUCH DO TEACHERS KNOW ABOUT THEIR STUDENTS’ FEARS

TO WRITE

AND

WAYS TO HANDLE EACH FEAR?

STUDENTS’ ANXIETY TO WRITE IS DUE TO:

        i)            Dearth of ideas

       ii)            Dearth of English vocabulary

     iii)            Inability to express ideas in complete sentences in English

     iv)            Inability to develop ideas and meet the length requirement

      v)            Inability to write within the time limit given

                                              (Zanurin, 2010)

ONCE EACH FEAR IS TACKLED, WEAK STUDENTS’ CONFIDENCE WILL GROW AND THEY WILL  BE MOTIVATED TO WRITE!

WORKSHOP 4: In groups, discuss pragmatic short or long term programmes on how  each of the writing anxieties below should be dealt with by the English Language Panel:

        i)            Lack ideas

       ii)            Lack English vocabulary

     iii)            Possess ideas but unable to express them in English

     iv)            Inability to develop ideas

      v)            Inability to construct sentences in accurate English

 Discussion/Preparation: 20 minutes

 Presentation: 7 minutes (using PowerPoint)                                           

•          You may suggest:

•          some of the activities shared during this course

•          extraordinary classroom activities / learning and teaching activities

•          remedial or enrichment activities or programmes

•          useful and practical tips based on your experiences

•          useful and practical tips which you believe will work well

•          etc.

so, it’s up to the teachers to overcome your students’ fear….because you know them better…. Chow!